SIMI VALLEY, CA- A Simi Valley, California man was arrested last week after he entered a city Target department store and began choking a female customer without provocation, police said in a news release.
Police said Rejean Tabor, 34, entered the store and attacked the unidentified female customer who was standing at a checkout counter. When a loss prevention officer and bystanders began to intervene, Tabor turned his attention to them and began attacking the Good Samaritans. One of those assisting in attempting to apprehend Tabor was a juvenile, police said.
Target employees began an emergency evacuation of the store as officers arrived on scene. They quickly located Tabor, who had started throwing items in the grocery section. He was taken into custody without incident.
Several customers, including the juvenile, were treated and released at the scene. The victim whom Tabor attacked was transported by her family to a local hospital where she was admitted and remains in stable condition. Police said there was no relationship between Tabor and the woman he attacked, and the assault appeared to be completely random.
Tabor was arrested and booked at the Ventura County Main Jail, and is charged with attempted murder, burglary, assault, battery and cruelty, or unjustifiable pain to a minor.
Law & Crime reported that cellphone video showed Tabor attacking and fighting the Good Samaritans, including a man named Andy Garbe, who spoke to local CBS affiliate KCBS about the incident.
“We ran over…and we just see one lady on the guy’s back, and then him just choking out another lady,” Garbe told the outlet. “He had the most bloodshot, demon eyes I’ve ever seen. He was definitely on something.”
The incident was captured by Garbe’s 15-year-old son, who caught the incident on camera. One witness was heard saying,” He [Tabor] was choking her. She was almost dead.”
Garbe continued, saying, “Imagine someone being behind you, choking you out. And she was even saying she was trying to scream.”
After attacking the female victim, Tabor went into the produce section when he attacked a 16-year-old boy, witnesses and the police department said.
“[The teen] had his back turned to him…and had no idea,” Garbe said.
“Several people, including [police], said that the original victim could have died from being choked out if we didn’t show up there in time,” Garbe’s son said.
KCBS said Tabor was released from custody only two days before this incident after being arrested in March for indecent exposure and assaulting an officer. He is currently on probation for that arrest.
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